Ashby helps East stars shine bright

Softball: Crescenta Valley High player finishes with two big hits to help team to 8-5 victory in sixth annual All-Star contest.

June 14, 2011|By Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com

VAN NUYS — Erin Ashby proved to be a consistent and reliable player the past four seasons for the Crescenta Valley High softball team.

Whether in the circle or at the plate, Ashby played a large role in shaping some successful Falcon teams, including helping Crescenta Valley gain a split of the Pacific League championship this season.

The Stanford-bound Ashby had one final opportunity to compete at the high school level and she finished in a big way, this time sporting another uniform.

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Ashby had two hits and scored a pair of runs to lead the East All-Star Team to an 8-5 victory against the West on Tuesday afternoon in the sixth rendition of the San Fernando Valley All-Star Classic at Birmingham High.

Ashby, the reigning All-Area Softball Player of the Year, also recorded a combined three assists and two putouts at third base and shortstop.

"It's great to come out here and be a part of it," said Ashby, who was named the Pacific League's most valuable player for the second season in a row. "A lot of great players are here and have passed through here and it's a nice way to end my [high school] career."

Ashby helped the East get going in the bottom of the first after starting the game at third base. Ashby lined a single to right center and came home when Jenna Kelly of Saugus hit a grand slam off West starting pitcher Sophia Perez of Simi Valley to give the East a 4-0 lead. Later in the inning, Ashby was inserted as a courtesy runner and scored on a two-run double by Valencia's Caitlin Rooney to make it 6-0.

After a solo home run by Thousand Oaks' Paris Shipp trimmed the deficit to 6-1 in the second, Ashby and the East had a quick response in their half of the inning. San Fernando's Melinda Robertson had a run-scoring double to drive in Quartz Hills' Destine King to make it 7-1 before Ashby hit a ground-ball single on an 0-2 pitch just inside first base to score King to extend the advantage to 8-1.

"With my first hit, I just wanted to get on base and have them get me in," said Ashby, who finished two for three and helped the East snap a three-game losing skid in the event. "With the second hit, I wanted to put the ball in play and the ball stayed fair."

The West scored three runs in the fourth to make it 8-4 and added another run in the seventh to close out the scoring.